Companion Code of Conduct

This Companion Code of Conduct (the Code) governs the conduct of all individuals registered as Companions on the Buddy Care platform at buddycareapp.com. By activating or maintaining a Companion account, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be legally bound by this Code in its entirety. Violations may result in immediate suspension, permanent removal from the platform, and, where applicable, referral to law enforcement authorities.

Buddy Care operates in a sector of heightened trust. Companions are granted access to the homes, routines, and welfare of elderly individuals who may be physically or cognitively vulnerable. The standards set forth below reflect the minimum acceptable conduct required to participate on this platform.

This document is the complete Companion Code of Conduct. The text published on the Buddy Care website and the text presented to Companions for acceptance are the same document. No summary, excerpt, description, or restatement of this Code, wherever it appears, modifies or supersedes it.

1. Professional Conduct and Client Boundaries

1.1 General Standards

Companions must treat all clients and their family members with dignity, respect, and patience at all times.
Companions must arrive on time, prepared, and in a presentable, professional state for every engagement.
Companions must not engage in conduct that demeans, embarrasses, intimidates, or manipulates a client.
Companions must not form personal or romantic relationships with clients or their immediate family members.
Companions must not discuss personal financial matters with, or solicit gifts, loans, or donations from, clients or family members in any form.

1.2 Physical Boundaries

Physical contact with clients must be limited to what is necessary, consensual, and appropriate to the agreed scope of service.
Companions must never engage in any conduct of a sexual nature with a client under any circumstances. Violation of this provision will result in immediate permanent removal and referral to law enforcement.

2. Financial Integrity

Companions are strictly prohibited from accepting cash, gifts, loans, property, or any item of value directly from clients or their family members outside of payments processed through the Buddy Care platform.
Companions must not borrow money from, lend money to, or enter into any financial arrangement with a client or family member.
Companions must not access, handle, or be present during access to a client's financial accounts, banking instruments, credit cards, checkbooks, or estate documents under any circumstances. Buddy Care does not authorize any exception to this prohibition.
Any attempt to influence a client's financial decisions, estate, or beneficiary designations constitutes grounds for immediate permanent removal and referral to the appropriate authorities.

3. Mandatory Reporting Obligations

Companions are mandatory reporters of the following and must report to the appropriate authorities as required by applicable law and notify Buddy Care concurrently. These reporting obligations apply to all clients and are required by law for any client who meets the definition of an incapacitated adult under applicable state law. No approval from Buddy Care is required before a Companion makes a mandatory statutory report, and no Companion may be penalized by Buddy Care for making one.

Any suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a client, whether by the Companion or any third party.
Any medical emergency or sudden change in a client's health condition, including falls, loss of consciousness, or expressions of self harm.
Any situation in which the Companion believes a client is in immediate danger.
Any request or pressure from a family member or third party that the Companion believes may harm the client's interests.

Where a client is in immediate danger, the Companion must contact emergency services first. Failure to report any of the above may constitute a violation of applicable state law, in addition to a breach of this Code.

4. Confidentiality

All information relating to a client's identity, health, finances, family circumstances, and living situation is strictly confidential.
Companions must not disclose client information to any third party, including family members not directly involved in the booking, without explicit written authorization.
Confidentiality obligations survive the termination of a Companion's account and remain in effect indefinitely.
Companions must not discuss clients on any social media platform or public forum, regardless of whether the client is identified by name.
Nothing in this section restricts a Companion from making a report required or permitted by law, or from responding truthfully to a lawful inquiry from a government authority.

5. Photography, Recording, and Privacy

Companions must not photograph, record audio, or record video of clients or their property without explicit prior written consent.
Recording of any kind in a client's home without consent may constitute a violation of applicable wiretapping and privacy statutes.
Companions must not post any image, video, or identifying information related to a client or their home on any platform.

6. Substance Use

Companions must not consume alcohol or any controlled substance before or during an engagement, regardless of duration.
Companions must not be under the influence of any substance, whether prescription or otherwise, that impairs judgment, reaction time, or the ability to provide safe care.
Companions who take prescription medication that specifically impairs judgment, reaction time, or the ability to provide safe care must disclose this to Buddy Care in advance of any engagement.
Violation of this section will result in immediate suspension and review for permanent removal.

7. Scope of Services and Unauthorized Conduct

Companions must not perform medical procedures, administer medications, or provide any service that constitutes the practice of medicine or nursing without the appropriate licensure, regardless of client request.
Transportation of a client as a passenger is not a service offered through Buddy Care. Companions must not transport a client as a passenger in any personal or third party vehicle, under any circumstances, regardless of client request or compensation offered. Companions may operate a personal vehicle to collect and deliver items on behalf of a client, such as groceries or prescriptions, provided the client is not present in the vehicle. Arranging third party transportation for a client is permitted where the Family has identified the client, for that booking, as able to travel unaccompanied. The identification applies to that booking only. Where a client has not been so identified for the booking in question, a Companion may contact a Family member or the client's designated contact to arrange transportation, but must not place the client into a rideshare or any other third party vehicle unaccompanied. Insurance and eligibility requirements applicable to errand driving are set forth in Section 10.
Companions must not allow unauthorized persons, including friends, family members, or acquaintances, to be present during an engagement without prior written approval from the client and Buddy Care.
Companions must not perform services beyond the scope of what was agreed at booking without documented approval.

8. Background Check and Ongoing Accuracy

Companions must consent to and pass all background screening required by Buddy Care, including checks facilitated through third party providers, as a mandatory condition of platform access. No Companion profile will be activated until a background check has been completed and cleared.
Companions must immediately notify Buddy Care of any criminal charge, arrest, conviction, or adverse finding occurring after their initial background check is completed. Failure to disclose constitutes grounds for immediate permanent removal from the platform.
Providing false, incomplete, or misleading information during the background check process or at any point thereafter constitutes grounds for immediate permanent removal and may constitute fraud under applicable law.

9. Enforcement and Consequences

Violations of this Code are evaluated on a case by case basis. Buddy Care reserves the right to take any of the following actions, individually or in combination, depending on the nature and severity of the violation:

Formal written warning
Temporary suspension pending investigation
Permanent removal from the platform
Withholding of pending compensation where permitted by applicable law
Referral to law enforcement or adult protective services

Buddy Care's determination of a violation and the resulting consequence shall be final and binding as a matter of platform administration. Nothing in this section limits a Companion's right to bring a claim under Section 11. Companions acknowledge that Buddy Care owes no obligation to reinstate any account that has been suspended or terminated for cause.

10. Vehicle Use and Errand Driving

10.1 Passenger Transportation Prohibited

Transporting a client as a passenger is not an authorized service on the Buddy Care platform. Companions must not transport a client as a passenger in any personal or third party vehicle, under any circumstances, regardless of client request or compensation offered.

This prohibition applies to every Companion without exception. No Buddy Care badge, enrollment, approval, or verification authorizes the transportation of a client as a passenger, and none will. Violation of this provision constitutes an immediate breach of this Code and grounds for permanent removal from the platform.

Arranging third party transportation for a client, such as coordinating a rideshare service or contacting a Family member for pickup, is permitted where the Family has identified the client, for that booking, as able to travel unaccompanied. The identification is given by the Family on each booking and applies to that booking only, and is shown to the Companion on the booking. A Companion must not rely on an identification given for an earlier booking.

Where a client has not been so identified for the booking in question, a Companion may contact a Family member or the client's designated contact to arrange transportation, but must not place the client into a rideshare or any other third party vehicle unaccompanied. A Companion who is unable to reach anyone must remain with the client or follow the handoff arrangement agreed for that booking, and must not leave the client unattended.

10.2 Errand Driving

Companions may operate a personal vehicle to collect and deliver items on behalf of a client, such as groceries or prescriptions, provided the client is not present in the vehicle at any time.

A Companion may not perform errand driving in connection with a Buddy Care engagement until the Companion has completed errand driving enrollment. Enrollment requires submission of each of the following:

A current auto insurance card for the vehicle to be used, showing the policy expiration date.
Documentation showing that the policy covers use of that vehicle to collect and deliver items in connection with the Companion's care services. Acceptable documentation is a declarations page or endorsement page identifying a business use, delivery, or commercial use endorsement, or written confirmation from the insurer or its agent that the policy covers that use.
The Companion's attestation that the vehicle will be used to transport items only and never to carry a client.

Buddy Care does not accept a Companion's own statement that coverage exists in place of the documentation described above. The documentation must state on its face that the policy covers business use, delivery, commercial use, or the use described in this section. A Companion should confirm that any endorsement obtained covers the carrying of goods and not only the carrying of passengers, because many insurers treat those as separate coverages.

At enrollment and continuously while enrolled, a Companion represents and warrants that:

the Companion holds a valid, unexpired driver's license;
the vehicle used for errand driving is covered by the insurance submitted at enrollment;
that insurance meets at least the minimum financial responsibility limits required by the law of the state in which the vehicle is registered;
the Companion has disclosed to the insurer the use of the vehicle for errands performed in connection with the Companion's care services on the Buddy Care platform; and
the Companion will use the vehicle to transport items only, and will not transport a client as a passenger.

Personal auto policies commonly restrict or exclude the use of a vehicle to carry persons or property for compensation, and an insurer may deny a claim where the use was not disclosed. Coverage that lapses, is cancelled, or is not renewed ceases to satisfy this section on the date it ends.

Companions must immediately notify Buddy Care of any lapse, cancellation, or non renewal of the insurance or the endorsement submitted at enrollment, and must submit current documentation upon expiration of the policy on file. Errand driving eligibility ends automatically when the documentation on file expires and resumes when current documentation is submitted.

10.3 What Buddy Care Verifies

Buddy Care's review of errand driving enrollment is limited to confirming that the documents required at enrollment have been submitted, that the policy expiration date shown has not passed, that the documentation submitted states on its face that it covers business use, delivery, commercial use, or the use described in Section 10.2, and that the items only attestation has been given.

Buddy Care does not obtain or review a motor vehicle record or driving history, verify the existence or status of a driver's license, verify coverage limits, verify the terms or exclusions of any policy, interpret any policy or endorsement, confirm with any insurer that coverage is in force, inspect any vehicle, or assess driving competence. Nothing in the errand driving enrollment process constitutes an endorsement, certification, or representation by Buddy Care regarding a Companion's driving record, driving ability, or insurance adequacy.

10.4 Platform Liability Limitation

Buddy Care is a technology platform and marketplace. It is not a transportation company, a delivery service, a care agency, or an employer of Companions. Buddy Care does not own, operate, insure, or control any vehicle used by a Companion.

Each Companion assumes full personal liability for any incident, injury, or loss arising from the Companion's operation of a vehicle in connection with a Buddy Care engagement. Each Companion agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Buddy Care and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claim, loss, damage, or expense, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising from that operation. This indemnity does not extend to any claim, loss, damage, or expense arising from Buddy Care's own gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

11. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

This Code is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Nothing in this section displaces mandatory regulatory obligations arising under the law of the state in which services are rendered, including mandatory reporting obligations under applicable adult protective services statutes.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to this Code shall be resolved through binding individual arbitration under the Consumer Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, rather than in court. Arbitration shall take place in the county in which the Companion resides or, at either party's election, by videoconference. Class action and collective claims are expressly waived. Either party may bring an individual action in small claims court for claims within that court's jurisdiction.

You may opt out of this arbitration agreement within thirty days of accepting the Buddy Care Terms of Service, or any later version of those Terms that Buddy Care presents for acceptance, by emailing support@buddycareapp.com with the subject line Arbitration Opt Out.

12. Platform Integrity

Buddy Care invests in the infrastructure, screening, and accountability systems that make the platform valuable to both Companions and Families. Companions must not circumvent that investment by taking platform relationships off platform.

Platform circumvention means accepting or arranging direct payment from a Family met through Buddy Care outside of the platform's payment system.
The circumvention prohibition applies for twelve months following the date of the last booking between a Companion and a Family processed through the platform.
Confirmed circumvention by a Companion will result in permanent removal from the platform and forfeiture of any pending earnings. Buddy Care reserves the right to pursue recovery of platform fees that would have been earned on circumvented bookings.
Nothing in this section prohibits a Companion from independently providing companion or care services to individuals who were not introduced through the Buddy Care platform.

This section applies to conduct occurring on or after the effective date of the version of this Code the Companion has accepted.

13. Version, Amendment, and Acceptance

Each version of this Code carries a version number and an effective date, both shown at the head of this document. The version in effect at the time of the conduct in question governs that conduct.

Buddy Care may amend this Code. Where an amendment materially changes a Companion's obligations, rights, or eligibility to use the platform, the amendment takes effect as to that Companion only upon the Companion's affirmative acceptance of the amended Code. Buddy Care will give notice by email and by platform notification, and will present the amended Code for acceptance before further platform access. A Companion who has not accepted an amended Code within thirty days of notice may be suspended from the platform until acceptance is given.

Corrections that do not alter a Companion's obligations, rights, or eligibility take effect upon posting and are recorded in the version history maintained by Buddy Care.

Buddy Care records, for each acceptance, the identity of the accepting Companion, the version number and effective date accepted, the date and time of acceptance, the internet protocol address and device information associated with the acceptance, and confirmation that the full text of the Code was displayed to the Companion before acceptance. Buddy Care retains the exact text of each accepted version.

Companion Acknowledgment

By accepting this Code, I acknowledge that I have read the Companion Code of Conduct in its entirety, that I understand its terms, and that I agree to be legally bound by it as a condition of my use of the Buddy Care platform. I understand that violation of any provision of this Code may result in my permanent removal from the platform and, where applicable, referral to the appropriate legal authorities.

I understand that this document is the complete Code of Conduct, and that my acceptance is recorded together with the version number, the date and time, my internet protocol address, and device information.